” ‘Another close encounter of the natural kind, reported by Raindancer of North Oaks: “Nature’s little things can be hugely entertaining:

” ‘ “Friday afternoon, I was watching a butterfly investigate each marigold bloom in my garden. Then a hummingbird came and flew close circles around the butterfly for several minutes. She didn’t bother the butterfly. I’ve always thought that we should never underestimate the intelligence of other animals, or their empathy. The hummer might have been admiring the butterfly’s pretty wing design — or maybe showing off her own aerial agility.” ‘

“I like the thought of the hummingbird admiring the butterfly. I admire butterflies. Why should admiration be something only one species can feel? And why do I assume that the shepherd who barked at my dog today was being territorial or aggressive or just yappy, instead of considering that she might have been saying to him, ‘Hot enough for you?’ This assumption that we humans have opposable thumbs and bigger brains and so we are nothing like the other species who inhabit the Earth is just wishful thinking, in my book.

“BTW, I would admire hummingbirds, too, but they move so fast, I’ve only ever seen the blur.”

Our trees, ourselves

Marie of North Branch (“formerly from Ridgeland, Wisconsin”): “Many years ago, my mother had a plum tree in her yard that was beautiful in spring when it bloomed, but later in summer would leave a mess of plums on the ground. Mom got tired of cleaning them up and asked my husband to cut this tree down — and when he did, she cried. I didn’t understand that until now.

“We just moved from Wisconsin to Minnesota. We needed to downsize, and I had to get rid of a lot of things that I loved but seldom or never used. This was difficult, but today I was thinking of an Autumn Blaze Maple in our front yard in Wisconsin that I won’t see turn beautiful red this fall. Oh my gosh, I miss a tree! It’s probably been over 50 years since we cut down my mom’s tree and I saw her cry, but now I know how she felt.

“We’ll have to plant another Autumn Blaze here and hope we have some more autumns left to watch it do its fall magic again ….”

Life as we know it

Papa Wheelie of Highland Park: “Memories, Memories, Memories.

“This past Saturday, I met a friend for coffee at the Bistro in the new Carondolet Village Senior Center in Highland. What a fabulous facility for those of us who are ‘seniors,’ or who are getting there. My friend and his wife live in one of the on-site apartments.

“On the way to meet him in the Bistro, I picked up my brother-in-law, Father Jim, a retired priest from Iowa who lives there. We all had ice cream cones and coffee. We talked and laughed and did our best to solve all of the world’s problems. We joked about the fact that all of us are having more of those senior moments than we care to admit.

“For too many of our families, dementia — particularly Alzheimer’s — is a real threat. It is very close to home. For those affected, today — or even a few minutes ago — is hazy or forgotten. However, some have a remarkable ability to reminisce on years past: The Korean War, high school, college, earlier vocations and old friends are as memorable today as they ever were. Sometimes the words don’t come out as planned, but we can tell that, despite the dementia, their brains are doing their best to work with what they have stored away.

“It is sad to realize that Alzheimer’s is lurking over our community like the sword of Damocles. We Baby Boomers are getting older, are living longer and are, unfortunately, more susceptible. It is heartening to see the country focusing on brain research and events like the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. However, those solutions are for the future. For our seniors, today is the day to enjoy and be alive. For a couple of seniors, a cup of coffee, some ice cream and an hour or so to reminisce were precious, and they smiled.

“If you need a pick-me-up, take a senior to lunch. Both of you will enjoy it.”

Could be verse!

Tim Torkildson: “Grandpa ate the leftovers, now isn’t that a shame?

“We took him in because he was so old and very lame.

“But Grandpa ate the leftovers, so what are we to do?

“Condoning such behavior will not bring back any stew.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers, we thought he was aware

“That he cannot look in the fridge and let out the cold air.

“We’re glad to have him staying, but he must learn to respect

“Our feelings when he goes and eats a piece of bread unchecked.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers, and consequences follow

“Ev’ry single morsel that he did so rudely swallow.

“We’ll take away his walker, make him sit in a ‘time-out.’

“Take away his prune juice, give him bacon for his gout.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers — that wasn’t very nice;

“Not when you consider that we let him have free ice.

“His bed is comfy cozy and his sheets are washed with care

“Once a year, the same time as we do his underwear.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers, when he was left alone,

“Sitting with the land line

listening to the dial tone.

“He’s home alone most all the time; we have to work, you know.

“And on the weekends we so like to catch a Broadway show.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers; if Grandma were alive

“He would not so smugly live at our expense and thrive.

“But she is dead and buried — leastways that is what they said

“When the home threw out her bags and reassigned her bed.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers, and showing no remorse.

“We would have a nose bleed if we were up on his high horse.

“We don’t charge him anything, not even a deposit,

“For his lovely sitting room inside the linen closet.

“Grandpa ate the leftovers, our food budget is shot.

“Next he’ll want a trip to someplace warm like Montserrat.

“His room and board are killing us, we’re at his call and beck!

“(But please do not explain to him we cash his pension check.)”

For the record

Uncle Almost from Hastings: “Back in ‘those days,’ I bought an LP record called ‘Trip Through Hell’ by the C.A. Quintet, a Minnesota psychedelic rock band. Released in 1969, it was the band’s only record. It sold fewer than 1,000 copies. I couldn’t have paid more than $3 or $4 for it.

“Fast-forward to the late ’80s, as I recall: Our great and wonderful SPPP had an article about what older LP records by Minnesota artists were worth. Several original Bob Dylan albums were mentioned, and then I noticed my rarely played ‘Trip Through Hell.’ I dug through boxes of old stuff, and there it was. I called the fellow mentioned in the article and told him what I had. He was at my door in 20 minutes. The LP was perfect; the cover had my initials in one corner, but was otherwise in good condition. Four hundred dollars cash, and the deal was done. The fellow said he had an airbrush guy who would paint over my initials and that he was selling these records in Poland for as much as $1,200 a copy.

“Four hundred dollars for a $4 investment. What a deal. I spent most of it on CDs of Southern Rock (Allman Brothers, for example) which I still enjoy ‘these days.’ ”

Everyone’s a copy editor!

Donald: “Subject: Who gives a hoot?

“The ‘College football briefing’ section in the Sports section of Sunday’s Pioneer Press carried this headline: ‘Win-win day for Irish as Kelly gets No. 200 and five-year deal.’

“Excerpts from three of the nine paragraphs:

” ‘The No. 14 Fighting Irish scored on their first two possessions … in a 28-6 victory Saturday.’

” ‘The Irish announced after the win that coach Brian Kelly had signed a new five-year contract.’

” ‘Kelly said he wasn’t too worried that the Irish couldn’t quite seem to put the Owls away ….’

“There was one slight omission in the article: Other than listing the nickname of the team Notre Dame beat, there was no mention of the school they played! My first thought was it might be Rice, but when I checked the ‘Top twenty-five’ list, I discovered it was Temple.”

Out of the mouths of babes

Arizona Papa: “My 2-1/2-year-old granddaughter asked to play with my iPhone while I was taking care of her and her little brother. I proceeded to take out my iPad so that I would be able to answer a few emails and catch up on some computer work.

“After a few minutes, she noticed what I was doing and proceeded to ask if she could use the iPad.

“I said: ‘Honey, Papa has to do his work, and you are using the phone.’

“To which she replied: ‘Papa, that is my iPad.’

“Smirkingly, I replied: ‘It is actually Papa’s iPad.’

“Once again she had an answer ready, very similar to her grandmother: ‘Papa, you have to share. We talked about this yesterday.’

“How could I resist, with that kind of logic?”

Little pitchers …

Fran: “Jordon Johnson, who is 7, told his mom, Michelle, that he now knows what he wants to do when he grows up. He wants to work for Christian Mingle, so he can find the wife God wants for him!”

Band Name of the Day: Trip Through Hell

Website of the Day (and further proof that everything is on the Internet): “Trip Through Hell,” at tinyurl.com/hell-album

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